Green Hudson April Newsletter

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What You Need to Know
About Plant-based Products

Shifting to plant-based materials can have positive effects. In general, using bioproducts over fossil fuel-based products can help lower emissions and reduce landfill waste, when managed properly. But they also come with climate consequences of their own. For example, growing plants requires less land than livestock, but it still takes up a lot of land. Meanwhile, if bioplastics aren’t composted in a particular commercial way, they act like petroleum-based plastic in landfills and the environment.

None of this necessarily means you should avoid plant-based products. It just takes some extra work to know what’s in them — and what to do with them when you’re done.
Read the entire Vox article HERE.

Mystery Labeling

The “plant-based” label has started showing up on everything from diapers to phone cases in recent years, signaling a product is “safe” and “sustainable” even when there’s no evidence for that.
The term is essentially unregulated and poorly defined, so “plant-based” products can still contain harmful chemicals.
Treat “plant-based” as a starting point, not a guarantee. Look for products that are transparent about their ingredients or that have credible certifications, like "organic."

Marketplace's website has an interesting recording titled What a "plant-based" product label does—and does not—tell you.

Committee Reports

Climate and Energy Committee. We meet monthly on the 3rd Sunday, at 5:00 p.m. right before the general meeting. Current topics include: Heat Smart Cool Smart, EV charging infrastructure, and other related subjects. Want to join our committee? Contact us at [email protected].

Education and Outreach Committee. We will be rescheduling until the fall our planned April Climate Cafe featuring the OARS3Rivers.org whose mission is to protect and restore the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers (OARS). Meanwhile, we continue our planning for 2026 with a special summer event to be announced soon. And a special thanks to our committee member, Brooke Warring, for her native plant article below. Have some ideas you'd like to share? Want to join our committee? Please contact [email protected].

Plastic Reduction Committee. Since the new plastics reduction bylaw went into effect on January 1, the Plastic Reduction Committee has been hard at work distributing educational fliers to help our local business community navigate the new requirements and ensure a smooth transition. Contact Elisa Pearmain at [email protected].

Legislative Update

Climate advocates are laser focused on the energy affordability bill that is now in Senate Ways and Means. They are aiming to keep the good things in the bill (e.g. some support for clean energy, discounts for lower income rate payers, control of third party suppliers), remove the bad things (e.g. cutting Mass Save funding for the Clean Energy Center) and add controls on gas infrastructure spending and utility spending on lobbying and other things unrelated to delivering energy.

The focus for advocacy for this agenda is on Senator Barrett and other key leaders in the Senate and getting messages out to the public that:

Identify reducing excessive utility profits from infrastructure spending as the best way to cut energy bills.
Highlight all the ways Mass Save programs and clean energy are key to energy affordability in the long run.

Please keep an eye out for an Action Alert email for advocacy on the bill in the next month.

Hudson Clean-Up Day is Saturday, April 25th

With support from the Hudson Public Works Department and Hudson Recreation, Earth Week is celebrated with a town-wide clean-up effort hosted by Green Hudson. Saturday, April 25th work will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. (The rain date will be Sunday, April 26th.)

Everyone is welcome to stop by our tent to pick up trash bags, hi-vis vests and gloves—and we will collect your litter. The tent will be on Municipal Drive just past the Police and Public Works building.

Let us know where you will be picking up litter by signing up on our sheet, accessible by using this QR code or going to https://bit.ly/3wzUnlb.

It's Time to Think About Native Plants

Consider adding native plants to your spring plantings this year! Native plants are not only more resilient, as they’ve adapted to our local ecosystem, but they also provide a wealth of habitat and food opportunities for pollinators and wildlife. Just adding a few native plants to your garden can make a world of difference to our local pollinators and birds.

Local resources can help you plan out your perfect combination of native plants. Massachusetts Native Plant Palette, for

example, is fantastic! This tool allows you to search and select for what pollinators or wildlife you’d like to attract. You can even sort options by color, when they flower, sun/shade preferences, and more! The Hudson Conservation Commission also has a recommended native plant list located on their website, which includes information on how to get started in your own backyard, as well as links to additional resources. Pollinators and Plants is another great site on mass.gov with a wealth of information.

Interested in incorporating native plants in your yard this year? The Middlesex Conservation District (a local nonprofit) is hosting their 2026 Plant Sale on May 1st & May 2nd, with orders due by April 24th. There are also nurseries that specialize in native plants, including Native Plant Trust and Blue Stem Natives, just to name a few!

Changes in Food Waste Coming ... Time to Talk Composting

Food waste and organics will soon be prohibited in trash pickups, as required by Mass State Law, effective in 2028 and 2030. These measures extend the life of a landfill and significantly reduce the amount of trash produced (and paid for in tipping fees) by the town. Another big benefit: the presence of rats and mice is mostly negated since the presence of food in the trash, the main attraction for rodents, is near zero.

One big difference between a backyard compost pile and a commercial compost business is they are commercially sized and produce more heat in the compost piles allowing them to accept things we can’t compost at home. For example, bones, meat products, and grocery-store compostable plates and utensils.

You’ll hear more about the town’s and the state’s composting plans in the next GH newsletter. For now, please consider signing up for Black Earth compost pickup. Along with reducing your trash amount (often by 50%) you’ll get a free bag of beautiful compost each spring.

Special Offer from Black Earth Compost

Black Earth Compost successfully made it out of winter and wants to celebrate Mother Earth! Even though Earth Day isn't until the 22nd, they are offering a discount for the whole month to any customer that may have been on the fence about signing up.

Residents are encouraged to start composting this earth month!

By diverting your food scraps from the waste stream, you not only help extend the life of the landfills, but the compost also helps to create nutrient-rich soil to give back to the earth.

Density Discount for Hudson!

When 300 Hudson households are signed up, the price will be lowered up to 17% for all participants.* If you are interested, please sign up at blackearthcompost.com. If you preregister during sign up you will automatically be notified via email to enroll in the service when participation reaches 300. (*Thresholds and rates are subject to change over time.)

Earth Day is April 22nd ... Celebrate with Climate Action BINGO!

Climate Action Bingo is presented by Project Drawdown. "Climate action isn’t just one thing, it’s many. And those small actions add up to big change."

In celebration of Earth Day, they invite you to download their Climate Action BINGO card and start completing squares today.

Each square provides practical steps you can take at home, in your community, and beyond. Choose a few, or aim to complete the full card throughout the month.

Every action matters. And together, those actions can spark lasting change.

At the end of April, share your completed BINGO card on social media. Post a photo along with a short reflection of your experience, tag @projectdrawdown, and you could be featured in their newsletter or on their social channels.

To explore Earth Day events happening throughout the week of April 18th, go here.

Recycling Volunteers Needed!

Have fun! Meet your neighbors and make new friends while helping the planet. Recycling volunteers needed Saturdays.

For more information:

contact [email protected]

Green Hudson's monthly general meetings are open to the public and held the third Sunday of each month, from 6–7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, 80 Main Street in Hudson.

APRIL 19TH

The Assabet River flows through the town of Hudson providing a powerful reminder of why we want to protect the beauty the earth provides. Scientists are alarmed as we witness climate change happening. We need to do more to put a stop to the threat.

Join Green Hudson now to learn more.

You are invited

Do you have suggestions for articles, resources of note, inspirations, relevant books to recommend, etc.? Send to [email protected] with the subject line "Green Hudson".

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